Welcome to the Greenhouse

The Biology Greenhouse at McMaster University is over 50 years old and is centrally located on the main campus between Hamilton Hall and The Refectory (where the Phoenix and Bridges Café are housed). The entrance can be accessed by the pathway opposite the Burke Science Building, towards Hamilton Hall and the McMaster University Faculty Association and then turning left. Visitors are welcome. MAP OF CAMPUS WITH GREENHOUSE.

The Biology Greenhouse is a teaching and research facility in the Biology Department. While many plants are grown in the short term for research studies, the permanent collection is used in plant biology classes offered by the Biology Department and for outreach to local schools and the public.

The Biology Greenhouse, with its 780 square meters under glass, houses a richly diverse collection of live plants encompassing in excess of 217 species in 150 genera from over 77 plant families. The plant collection contains bamboo, insect-eating cobra plants, a chocolate tree, a coffee tree, a palm tree, sugarcane, cycads, bananas and more! Our collection and plants on display are always changing and increasing, so drop in for a visit often to see what’s new on display.

Come visit the Biology Greenhouse and leave feeling inspired, refreshed and with a greater appreciation for plants that make human habitation possible on planet Earth.